Veneers

Teeth that are badly stained, broken, mis-shaped or crooked may be improved by a veneer placed on the surface of the affected teeth.

Veneers are thin pieces of porcelain or plastic cemented over the front of your teeth to change their color or shape. Veneers are used on teeth with uneven surfaces or are chipped, discolored, oddly shaped, unevenly spaced or crooked. Veneers have a longer life expectancy and color stability than bonding, and are less likely to stain from coffee, tea, or even cigarette smoking.

Veneers are usually made by a dental lab technician working from a model provided by your dentist. Veneers are usually irreversible because it`s necessary to remove a small amount of enamel from your teeth to accommodate the shell.

Porcelain veneers can mask undesirable defects, such as teeth stained by tetracycline, by an injury, or as a result of a root-canal procedure, and are ideal for masking discolored fillings in front teeth. Patients with gaps between their front teeth or teeth that are chipped or worn may consider porcelain veneers.

Typically, veneers entail at least three appointments: diagnosis and treatment planning, preparation, and bonding.

During the tooth preparation visit, the teeth are prepped to allow for the veneer. Usually, only about a half a millimeter of the tooth is removed, which may require a local anesthetic. For certain patients no preparation of the teeth may be necessary. Please see our specialties page for more information. During this same visit, impressions are taken of the teeth, and sent to the laboratory for the fabrication of the veneers.

During the final "bonding" visit, usually about one or two hours, the veneers are placed on the tooth surface with water or glycerine on the teeth to check their fit and get a sense of the shade or color. While the veneers are resting on your teeth, they can be adjusted with various shades of cement to match the color of your teeth. To apply the veneer, the tooth is cleansed with specific chemicals to achieve a bond. Once a special cement is sandwiched between the veneer and tooth, a visible light beam, or laser, causes a catalyst to be released, hardening the cement.

Also at this appointment, a final impression will be made to provide the patient with an acrylic mouthguard to protect the veneers and the patients investment. This acrylic mouthguard is to be worn at night when sleeping, simply because most of these types of restorations are chipped or broken while patients grind and clinch their teeth while sleeping.

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